UNIT 2 - Computer architecture

4. How to read a computer AD

  • Intel Pentium 4 processor (3GHz, 800MHz FSB)
  • Mini-tower chassis
  • 1GB dual channel DDR2 SDRAM
  • 200GB Serial ATA hard drive (7200 r.p.m.)
  • 128MB PCI-Express video card
  • Integrated audio
  • 48X CD-RW drive
  • 19" TFT flat panel XGA (1024 × 768) monitor
  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Processor
The main processing chip called a “Pentium 4”, designed and manufactured by Intel. It runs at 3 gigahertz and uses a front-side bus at 800 megahertz.
Chassis
A small, tall and narrow style of case containing the computer system.
Memory (RAM)
Synchronous dynamic random access memory with a capacity of one gigabyte; high-bandwidth, double-data-rate memory.
Hard drive
Capacity of two hundred gigabytes using Serial ATA (serial data connection rather than the original parallel connection); rotates at 7,200 revolutions per minute.
Video card
Electronics for driving the graphics output, with 128 megabytes of memory, using the PCI-Express interface.
Audio
Electronics for controlling the sound output that are built into the main electronics of the computer.
Optical drive
Compact disc read/write drive operating at forty-eight times the speed of the original CD drives.
Monitor
Nineteen-inch flat display screen made from thin-film transistors with a resolution of 1024 by 768.
Operating system
The software used to control the system: Microsoft Windows XP Professional.